llamaboiz

true... but my title is more descriptive rather than 'loose nut'

Evitzee

Surprise, surprise.....there is no problem with Lexus' at all. However, Lexus/Toyota badly mishandled this issue. They let the media get out in front of them, they made the asinine conclusion the problem was solely due to floormat entrapment, and then changed horses in midstream and concluded sticky accelerators were also at fault. Maybe they have learned that you have to take control of the situation and not let the media paint you into a corner. Think of all the billions of shareholder value that have been squandered to go into the pockets of the hordes of lawyers ready to cash in, all because some people can't tell the difference between the gas and the brake. Shameful.

trixxx519

iTrader: (14)

Good to hear

RshaoKh

"Ms. Marseille sticks by her story. "It makes me very angry when someone tells me, 'She probably hit the gas pedal instead,' because I think it's a sexist comment, an ageist comment," she said. "

lol?

LexFather

Hilarious, the car forums had 30 page threads when Toyota was in bad light. Now that they are vindicated no one is chiming in.

News hasn't said much either. Toyota should ask for their 16 mill back and for more. They had their CEO come apologize for NOTHING. Shame, just a damn shame.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

And I'm still not getting my software changed!

I knew there was nothing systemically wrong in the first place...

bnizzle87

^i second that! ive seen a few ISx50's with the new software programmed, but i dont know anyone from the IS F side that's had it done.

mmarshall

One matter, though, still remains unexplained: If it was simply a matter of driver error by hitting the gas pedal instead of the brake (and, yes, that sometimes happens), then, when the driver lifts his or her foot off the gas, the pedal should immediately spring back to idle and the car should slow down. That (apparantly) is not happening...the speed continues to run away.

That, of course, can be overcome by shifting into neutral and using brakes as necessary, though it might red-line the engine and cause damage. Or, if the red-line causes an automatic fuel-shutoff (which might not be working, either) that could cause immediate loss of power steering, and loss of power-brakes after the vaccum-reserve is gone.

encore888

A number of motor-skills experts have observed that 'pedal misapplication' includes the driver believing that their foot is on the brake, and so they keep pressing it until the car crashes, bewildered that they are going 'out of control'.

It is particularly common in elderly with motor skills deterioration and poor circulation in their feet. They tell accident investigators they were braking to the end, but video footage, data recorders, and NHTSA/police investigators find otherwise.

This latest NHTSA finding, as reported (there was a subscriber-only Ward's Auto article predating the WSJ one, same driver error indications in investigations), points to drivers claiming they were braking but the evidence showing otherwise.

It was also written in several press pieces by Richard Schmidt, human factors researcher at USC and Audi sudden-acceleration researcher, that a brake override will not take care of pedal misapplication cases because the elderly driver has their foot on the wrong pedal, and unlike most people, does not think to switch pedals.

Fizzboy7

In large cases like this, Toyota/Lexus had no choice but to give in. No matter what else was being said on their behalf, too many people were pointing the finger at them- including the public. You have to bite your tongue sometimes and suck it up to save yourself... and that is exactly what this company did. I think they handled it very well. Any other way would have caused more ruffled feathers and more damage. In the end, they will come out looking better than ever. This is one case where the nice guy will win.

onihc

iTrader: (1)

it was obvious from the beginning that it was all driver error. only female drivers and senior citizens had stuck pedals.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

you trying to talk sense to idiots? that's never going to work. and in panic situations, god knows what people "think" they are doing. let alone some who think they can scam money from toyota

but on the reality side, toyota did recall a lot of gas pedals and admitted that under certain condition they might get stuck. so it's a done deal and not much can be done. i guess they did what they had to do, and by admitting that problem then they are considered "dirty". if they never admitted anything and this report came out, it might have been different, but then it would be hard to imagine what the past few months were like for toyota

STIG

Toyota Forever! I said it before and I will say this again.

I will own a Toyota as long as I live. I was taken home from the hospital when I was born, and my kids will also be taken home in a Toyota, my wife will send them to schools in a Toyota, and Toyota will always be in my heart.

Call me a fanboy, I don't care.

GS69

Toyota Shares Rise after Sudden Acceleration Report

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Shares of Toyota Motor jumped more than 1% after a report suggested that some of the company's recall woes may have been due to driver error.

Toyota was up 83 cents, or 1.1%, to $71.89 a share in afternoon trading. Shares rose to a high of $72.14 shortly after the report was published.

The U.S. Transportation department has been analyzing data from recorders on Toyota vehicles involved in accidents blamed on sudden acceleration. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the analysis has found that throttles were wide open and the brakes were not engaged at the time the cars crashed.

The results, if correct, suggest that some drivers who said their Toyota and Lexus vehicles surged out of control were mistakenly holding down the gas pedal when they intended to hit the brakes, according to the Journal.

However, the report adds that the findings would not exonerate Toyota from two known issues blamed for sudden acceleration in its vehicles: sticky accelerator pedals and floor mats that can trap accelerator pedals to the floor.

Toyota recalled millions of vehicles world wide earlier this year for these and other problems. The company has also been criticized by Congress for a sluggish response when the defects were identified.

Toyota (TM) spokesman Brian Lyons said the Department of Transportation has not provided any information on the analysis to the company. He added that Toyota's own investigation has found a number of causes for unintended acceleration.

"Our findings have determined a number of explanations or causes, including pedal entrapment by floor mats or other objects, sticking pedals, pedal misapplication, engine idle up, or no trouble found," he said.

The Department of Transportation declined to comment on the report.

IS350jet

I don't agree. I think the worse part of this entire situation was the fact that Toyota admitted and accepted responsibility for every run-a-way complaint. IMO, that was a mistake of catastrophic proportions. When the US Government asked Toyota if they were were blaming the consumer for their UA crashes, Toyota said "no, it is our fault entirely". Why couldn't Toyota's response have been more like, "We are carefully investigating each claim on a case by case basis, however, generally speaking, no, we are not blaming the consumer." Little words like that make a huge difference in how the public perceives a company. Toyota got blamed and Toyota accepted all responsibility. To the NHTSA, that may be honorable, but to the consumer, it's bad news, bad publicity.